Defence Advocate Terry Price, SC, had asked that witness Laurika Booi be recalled.

Booi had worked for Panayiotou at the Inet Lounge in the Cotswold shopping centre complex, and the company had been registered in her name.

Panayiotou and his co-accused - Sinethemba Nenembe and Zolani Sibeko - are facing charges of conspiring, kidnapping, robbing and killing Panayiotou's wife Jayde.

She was abducted outside her townhouse complex in Kabega Park and later murdered in a field near KwaNobuhle on April 21, 2015.

DNA sample

A fourth suspect, Sizwezakhe Vumazonke, the alleged hitman, died before the trial began.

Booi told the court in November 2016 that all business dealings were done in cash and that either Panayiotou or his friend, Donovan Vosloo, would collect the proceeds every week.

Price asked the timid Booi if police had asked her for a DNA sample, and why they had asked her for one.

She said the police had told her they had found blood at a crime scene and wanted to determine if it was hers.

Price asked her if she knew she was not obligated to provide a DNA sample, and she said she did.

He then asked if they had told her where the crime scene was. She said they had told her it was at Panayiotou's Infinity nightclub in Algoa Park. Price asked her if she had worked there. She answered in the affirmative.

He then asked if she had worked there at the time that Jayde had been murdered, and she replied that she hadn't.

State Advocate Marius Stander then asked Booi if they had drawn blood. She said she thought they were going to take blood, but it that was a cheek swab.

After Booi was dismissed, Stander placed it on record that he would be applying to have the State's case reopened, as he would need to call two more witnesses.

Friday was the last sitting of this session. Court will resume on October 16. 

Price has placed on record that he intends to call Panayiotou's mistress, Chanelle Coutts, before concluding his case.

News24